The present invention relates generally to furniture and, more particularly, to devices for protecting furniture from damage during shipping and handling.
Various types of furniture, such as cabinets and the like, have doors supported by hinges which permit pivotal movement thereof. Under normal usage, conventional furniture hinges may be adequate for supporting the weight of doors hung therefrom. However, during shipping or handling, furniture doors may swing open and may exert excessive loads on supporting hinges unless restrained in some manner. This tendency is particularly problematic for heavy doors such as those that include heavy glass windows therein.
Unfortunately, conventional furniture hinges (especially thin band hinges) may be insufficient to withstand forces encountered during shipping and handling, particularly vertical forces. The weight of a heavy door in combination with a sudden jolt may be sufficient to bend, dislocate and/or damage conventional furniture hinges.
Various devices are known for temporarily restraining furniture doors from lateral movement during shipping and handling. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,997,205 describes a cabinet door clip formed with a pair of U-shaped bends that are configured to limit lateral movement of a cabinet door.
FIG. 1A illustrates another prior art restraining clip 10 for restraining furniture doors from lateral movement during shipping and handling. The illustrated clip 10 is configured to engage an edge portion of a door and a frame member and to restrain the door from opening. The illustrated clip 10 includes a vertical segment 11, a portion 12 located at one end of the vertical segment 11 that is configured to engage a portion of a door 13, and a portion 14 located at the other end of the vertical segment 11 that is configured to engage a portion of a frame 15 when the door is closed. FIG. 1B illustrates the clip 10 of FIG. 1A in an installed configuration.
Unfortunately, the various known devices for temporarily restraining furniture doors during shipping and handling may not provide sufficient vertical (i.e., gravitational) support for a heavy door that is being restrained thereby.
In view of the above discussion, clips for restraining furniture doors from both vertical and horizontal movement relative to a frame during shipping and handling are provided. Clips according to embodiments of the present invention include an elongated base member having opposite first and second sides. A pair of elongated first and second panels extend outwardly from the base member first side in spaced-apart, opposing relationship. The first and second panels each have respective, opposite first and second sides and a free end. The first panel free end preferably includes a barb that is configured to removably secure a frame against the base member first side. Preferably, the barb is configured to apply a biasing force against a frame to retain the frame against the base member first side.
An elongated third panel extends outwardly from the base member second side, and includes opposite first and second sides and a free end. The third panel first side is configured to engage an end portion of a furniture door such that vertical movement of the door relative to the frame can be restrained. In addition, the third panel first side preferably includes a raised portion adjacent the third panel free end that is configured to removably secure a furniture door against the base member second side such that horizontal movement of the door relative to the frame can be restrained.
Clips according to embodiments of the present invention can be utilized to restrain vertical and horizontal movement of various types and configurations of furniture doors. Moreover, clips according to embodiments of the present invention can be manufactured economically using various inexpensive materials and known manufacturing techniques including, but not limited to, injection molding.